Riya nodded. “Yes, sir.”
He leaned back in his chair, glanced at Ambrose behind her and continued. “So with him gone and you gone, we’re down a couple firefighters.”
She cleared her throat. “Well, sir, that’s kind of why I’m here.”
The captain raised his eyebrows, piercing her with his dark eyes. “Mmm-hmm?”
“I made a mistake, sir, handing in my badge like I did. I was distraught, in the heat of the moment, and like many other times, I reacted without thought. I know a good firefighter has to be clear in thought and focused, and I am striving to achieve that.” She paused. The captain just stared at her.
“I have a lot to learn...and I know that. But I am good at what I know how to do.” She leaned in. “Give me another chance. Please.”
The captain flicked his gaze again to Ambrose standing behind her. “Lieutenant, you got anything to say?”
“Yes, sir. In my humble opinion, Firefighter Desai is impulsive and reactionary. She takes risks and encourages others to do so as well. Sometimes people get hurt.”
Riya’s heart sank. Of course Ambrose would feel that way.
“However, she never asks anyone to do anything she herself is not willing to do. I have seen her calmly and effectively do her job in the face of personal danger. She is passionate about her work, but she still needs training, experience.”
What?
“Lieutenant, did you ever finish that paperwork I asked you to start, regarding Firefighter Desai’s leaving the job?”
Ambrose shuffled his feet behind her. She forced herself not to look. “My apologies, sir. We’ve had a busy few days, and I have not had a chance to get to it.” He paused. “I’ll get right to that.” He made a move to the door.
“No!” Riya blurted out before she could stop herself. She looked at the captain, who had his eyebrows raised at her. “I mean, please don’t. I really would like to come back. I can be good at this.”
The captain stared her down for a moment. Riya held her breath. He narrowed his eyes, fixing that fierce gaze exclusively on her. “You are rough around the edges, impulsive, aggressive, and sometimes you don’t follow orders.” He opened a drawer and pulled out her badge. “You need more training, and Ambrose, here, is going to make damn sure you get it.” He pushed the badge toward her. “If you pick that up, you are agreeing to do whatever the lieutenant asks of you. You have potential, Desai. I’d like to see you reach it.”
Riya did her best to fight the huge smile of relief that was bursting to get through. “Yes, sir. I’ll do my best, sir.” She reached forward, her heart light, and grabbed her badge before her captain had a change of heart. “Thank you, sir.”
Captain Davis waved a hand at her. “Dismissed.”
Ambrose opened the door and shared a look with the captain as Riya exited the room in front of him.
“Thanks for that. I appreciate it.” Riya stopped and faced him.
“Just so you know, Hetal had nothing to do with this.” Ambrose met her gaze. “And don’t thank me yet. You have no idea what’s in store for you, rookie.” Ambrose walked off toward his office, but not before Riya caught him trying to suppress a smile.
“Yes, sir,” Riya called out to his back. She didn’t care what he threw at her. She had her job back!
The guys were waiting for her in the bay. She grinned at them, her friends and colleagues, and flashed them her badge. “Captain gave me my job back!” Though, she suspected Ambrose had purposely stalled on that paperwork.
They shook their heads at her, frowns on their faces, and went back to work.
“Guys. Seriously?” She moved closer to them. “I’m not leaving. Like, ever again.”
Evans looked at Schultz, his mouth twitching into a smile. “She’s going to hog those Jaws. You know that, right?”
Schultz shrugged. “She’s also going to want to do all the crawling through windows.” He rolled his eyes. “Alvarez, she’s probably going to eat all the cinnamon rolls, too.”
Alvarez stretched to his full six feet five inches and stared at Riya. “You have cooking duty for the first month you’re back.”
She was speechless. She just grinned at her boys, afraid that if she spoke, she’d cry.
Riya was back.
forty-one
